Tosa Electric Railway
Encyclopedia
Kochi, Kochi
is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
, Japan. The private company operates tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
lines. It also operates as the agency of All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
in Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
.
The company was founded on July 8, 1903, while the tram line was opened on May 2, 1904. The company also operated heavy railway line called , but it was closed in 1974. The company is commonly known as among locals, while people in other prefectures tend to call it , as the word Toden can be confusing with Tokyo Metropolitan Tramway
Tokyo Toden
The or simply Toden, is the streetcar network of Tokyo, Japan. Of all its former routes, only one, the Toden Arakawa Line, remains in service. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operates the Toden...
, which is commonly called .
The introduced DESUCA
DESUCA
is a rechargeable contactless smart card ticketing system for public transport in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan, introduced from 25 January 2009. The card is issued by the , founded by Tosa Electric Railway and Kōchiken Kōtsū...
, a smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
ticket system, from January 2009.
Tram lines
There are 3 lines with 76 stations, spanning the total distance of 25.3 km. It is the second longest tram network in Japan, next to Hiroshima Electric RailwayHiroshima Electric Railway
is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short....
. The network in Kōchi, however, is suffered from its declining ridership ever since the 1960s. The company painfully strives by introducing newly built stations and cars, without much success. The Government of Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, as well as that of Kōchi City are considering plans to support the company.
Lines
- Sanbashi LineTosa Electric Railway Sanbashi LineThe is a tram line serving the island of Shikoku, Japan, in the city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture. This tram line is part of the Tosa Electric Railway network....
(桟橋線): Kōchi-Ekimae — Harimayabashi — Sambashidōri-Gochōme - Ino LineTosa Electric Railway Ino LineThe is a tram line serving the island of Shikoku, Japan, in the city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture. This tram line is part of the Tosa Electric Railway network. Most tramcars directly continue to Gomen Line.-Stations:...
(伊野線): Harimayabashi — Ino- Most tramcars directly continue to Gomen Line.
- Gomen LineTosa Electric Railway Gomen LineThe is a tram line serving the island of Shikoku, Japan, in the city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture. This tram line is part of the Tosa Electric Railway network. Most tramcars directly continue to Ino Line.-Stations:...
(後免線): Harimayabashi — Gomenmachi- Most tramcars directly continue to Ino Line.
Connections
- Asahi-Ekimaedōri Station: JRShikoku Railway Company, commonly known as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company is headquartered in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.- Lines :...
Dosan LineDosan Lineis a railway line in Shikoku, Japan, operated by the Shikoku Railway Company . It runs between Tadotsu Station in Tadotsu, Kagawa and Kubokawa Station in Shimanto, Kōchi. The line links the city of Kōchi with northern Shikoku and the island of Honshū via the Seto-Ōhashi Line...
(Asahi) - Asakura-Ekimae Station: JR Dosan Line (Asakura)
- Edagawa Station: JR Dosan Line
- Gomenmachi Station: Tosa Kuroshio RailwayTosa Kuroshio RailwayThe is a railway company in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. The name comes from the province of Tosa and Kuroshio Current. The third sector company , founded in 1986, took a former Japanese National Railways line, Nakamura Line, and later two JNR planned lines those constructions were halted halfway...
Asa LineTosa Kuroshio Railway Asa LineThe is a Japanese railway line operated by Tosa Kuroshio Railway that runs between Nankoku and Nahari in Kōchi Prefecture.-Stations:... - Ino-Ekimae Station: JR Dosan Line (Ino)
- Kōchi-Ekimae Station: JR Dosan Line (KōchiKochi Station (Kochi)is a railway station on the Dosan Line of the Shikoku Railway Company located in the city center of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan.In front of the station is Kōchi-Ekimae Station, a tram stop on the Tosa Electric Railway Sanbashi Line....
)
Bus lines
The company operates fairly many highway buses linking Kōchi City and major cities of Japan, including Tokyo, NagoyaNagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Ōsaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
and others. It also operates a local network in/around the city.
See also
- List of light-rail transit systems
- Little DancerLittle DancerThe Little Dancer is a low-floor tram brand built by Alna Sharyo, a Japanese manufacturer of trams and light rail vehicles.- Overview :"Little Dancer" was named by two means. One of the means is to aim lively and cute image. And another mean is a Japanese word "dansa". "dansa" in Japanese means...
, one of the LRVs operated on its lines